December 2011

By Christy Wolyniak, contributor

Mickey Hart, drummer of the Grateful Dead, has searched the cosmos for the sound only found in the crevices of nature and deep in the memories of the world’s best musicians.

Formed in August of this year, The Mickey Hart Band is made up of individuals who share his passion for percussion. Hart said this was a long-time coming band. He had been working on the music for a while and was just waiting for the right people to play it.

Made up of vocalists Crystal Monee Hall and Tim Hockenberry, bassist Dave Schools, drummer Ian "Inx" Herman, guitarist Gawain Matthews, percussionist Sikuru Adepoju, and keyboardist Ben Yonas, Hart described his new band as a dance band.

“Rhythm is life. Without rhythm, there is no life. Without rhythm, it would be difficult to make the music I want to make,” said Hart.

Music is woven into everything Hart pursues. He is the modern-day August Rush of sorts, hearing music in the woods and even in nature. Married to an environmentalist, he shares his wife’s passion for preserving beautiful things.

December 1 is World Aids Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about the AIDS pandemic and the spread of HIV infection. More importantly, it’s a day to encourage people to get tested.

In recognition of World Aids Day, here’s an overview of HIV in Washington State gathered by the Washington State Department of Health.

Washington State DOH’s HIV Assessment staff work with local health departments, health care providers, and laboratories to collect HIV case report information. This information is presented in quarterly surveillance reports. These reports provide information about people infected with HIV and help to guide program planning and distribution of resources.

Identifying and reporting new HIV cases helps state and local health departments develop programs that reduce the spread of HIV. Case reporting also helps assure that people living with HIV receive treatment as early as possible, and that partners who have been exposed to the virus receive HIV testing.

- In Washington State, the first case of AIDS was diagnosed in 1982. Since that date, 5,202 people have died from HIV/AIDS in Washington State.